Just Another Fairytale
by Takada Saiko
Summary: Rumplestiltskin took on his curse to keep his son safe, and now, just days after he has become the new Dark One, he finds that power brings its own set of new troubles with it. Now he must race against time to save Bae once more, battling the demon inside as well as the men that have taken him. Pre-OUAT
1. Chapter 1

**Just Another Fairytale**

**Part One.**

Baelfire had never been so terrified in his life, and there had been plenty of opportunities in his short fourteen years. There'd been plague and war and dangers all around, but nothing frightened him more than seeing a demon wearing his father's face. Those amber eyes, wild and frightening, had stared at him as he spoke with a voice that sounded like his papa, but didn't. There'd been none of his usual stammer as he'd stated how very unafraid he was because he'd protected what belonged to him. The words sent chills down Bae's spine and he had stumbled away. He was next. He knew he was next. The demon was going to kill him in the rage that had come over him and had left the knights sprawled out across the yard dead or… one was still dying. He was making a terrible sound now as his blood stained the dirt, flowing out of him so fast that there'd be no saving him even if anyone were brave enough to move to. Not that anyone was.

"Bae," the demon said again, taking a step forward with that blood-covered knife still dangling from his loose grip. The rising sun caught the name scrawled there and Bae knew the letters. His papa had taught him to read as a young child and he knew his own father's name as well as he did his own.

"I don't… I don't understand," he whispered, but he was more afraid that he did. _That beggar told me a fine tale, _Rumplestiltskin had said_. _ Bae shuddered and fell back, suddenly looking up. He'd thought that it was his papa at first, but now he was certain that it wasn't. He couldn't possibly be his father. When he managed to speak again, his voice sounding so young even to his own ears as he spoke. "Where's my papa?"

"Bae, son," the imposter's voice was softer now, lower, and he knelt down next to the quaking boy, one terrible, scaly hand coming to the side of his face in the affectionate gesture his father had always used to calm him. It was rough against his cheek, even if the touch was meant to be gentle. "It's me, Bae."

The other villagers had begun to creep out of their homes, just as afraid of the Dark One as they had been of Hordor coming to steal their children. Murmurs rose up and the demon looked around before gathering Bae up and when the teen opened his dark eyes again they were standing in his home. Arms were around him and he thought maybe it had all been a dream and his papa had woken him from it. He hugged him back, burying his face in the rough cloth of his tunic that smelled of of sheep's fat and the smoke that burning the wool it had soaked in had brought on. This was his papa with his arms around him and for a brief moment he felt safe again. It was only a nightmare, something he hadn't even realized he'd come out of, just like when he was young, and his papa was there to remind him that he'd never leave him alone.

"I was so afraid," the boy murmured and he felt the grip tighten.

"I wouldn't let them hurt you, Bae," his papa promised roughly, but when he pulled back he saw that it hadn't been a dream at all. Those strange eyes were staring down at him, but somewhere behind them, Bae thought he recognized someone familiar.

"Is it really you?"

"Of course it is."

He said it with such certainty that Bae tried to make himself believe it. Papa would know him anywhere, and as he strained, focusing on looking _behind_ the eyes, not just at them, he saw a flicker. "What did you do, Papa?"

"I saved your life, Bae," he answered simply, stepping away. He was sturdy on the ankle that had been destroyed all the years of Baelfire's life. He'd never wheedled the story out of his papa other than it was an injury that had allowed him to return from the war to be with Bae and had been well worth every shattered bone, every pain. It had allowed him to come home to his son.

"You killed those men."

"They were going to harm you."

There was something wrong. Well, more wrong than the fact that Bae wasn't sure if he was talking to his father or the Dark One. His fear overwhelmed the questions when he swayed dangerously though and leaned heavily on the rickety table that they took their meals at. "Papa?" Bae managed, fingers buried in the coarse material of his shirt.

"I'm alright, Bae," his father promised, but even as the words left his mouth his legs gave way and he went crashing down to the floor.

"Papa!" Bae cried and sank down next to him. The lines on his face were pronounced, even through the scales that had spread across his skin and his brows were knit closely together as he fought… something. Maybe the demon? Bae couldn't be sure. He just knew that if his father were fighting to get to him, he had to help, so he took one hand in his own and helped him sit up and lean against the table leg. He was trembling now, his eyes shut tight and fluttering behind the lids as if he were dreaming. "Papa, what's wrong?"

Rumplestiltskin cracked an eye open with some effort and squeezed his hand. Even though he looked like someone else, in that moment, Bae knew him and he knew his voice. "I love you, Bae," he rasped. "Please don't go, son."

"I'm not going anywhere," the boy whispered, pulling the hand in his own to his lips and pressing a kiss to it as his papa had done for him when he was ill. "I won't leave you. I love you too."

* * *

><p>Rumplestiltskin was drowning. He struggled against it, flailing against the waves that tried to pull him under into the inky darkness. He couldn't see, couldn't breathe, and he was growing so tired. He felt like he'd been fighting for hours and everything hurt. It would be so much easier just to slip, to give up, and to take the coward's way out. That's what he was, anyway. No one would blame him.<p>

"Papa? Papa, please wake up."

The spinner perked, head coming up above the crashing waves once more. Bae. That had been Bae's voice. His son still needed him and no matter how afraid he found himself, he couldn't leave Baelfire alone. He was still just a boy and Rumplestiltskin would give anything to keep him safe.

He struggled, swallowing a gulp of what he'd thought was water and it burned all the way down his throat. He coughed and choked against it, fighting harder than ever. He couldn't drown. Bae needed him.

Rumplestiltskin found himself tumbling onto solid ground then, face down against it and lungs full of whatever he'd been drowning in. He didn't know where he was or how he'd gotten there, but Bae's pleading voice still broke through it and he stumbled to his feet, right ankle nearly sending him back to the ground as it buckled beneath him. He caught himself, though, and looked around the darkness that swallowed him. "Bae?"

_He can't hear you._

Rumplestiltskin's head snapped around, but couldn't find the owner of the voice that had spoken. It was as if it's come from the darkness itself a chill ran up his spine. "Who's there?" he managed, hating how his voice shook.

The chill swept around him like a ghost or a spirit and the frightened spinner knew there was no running from it. Even if he wasn't surrounded by the inky darkness, his lame leg wouldn't allow him to run.

"Please," he called out, "I just want to go home to my son. I don't have anything of value. Please let me go."

_You should have thought of that before._

"Before _what_?" he demanded and a low chuckle filled the space around him. It bounced around off the nothingness and wrapped itself around him.

_Before you gave yourself to me. _

Memories crashed in like the waves. The soldiers and the decision and the fire. His hand gripping the hilt of a dagger and somehow finding the strength in his desperation to drive it into the Dark One's chest only to find what he hadn't known to watch out for. The price. He knew he'd gain power to save Bae, but the idea that he'd had to live the rest of his days as the new Dark One had never even crossed the spinner's mind. Now he was stuck and he felt the darkness weighing in on him, crushing him beneath it and trying to snuff him out. There was no escaping it.

_We are now linked, Rumplestiltskin_, the voice said and somehow he knew it was the curse itself. _Let go and you will know more power than you can fathom. _

Rumplestiltskin was terrified and trapped. It seemed that there was no way out of this place without giving into the darkness, and even as the realization set in he felt it start to take hold, spreading through him and anchoring in as it hadn't had a chance to do yet. It swirled and he felt power like he could never imagine racing through his system. He could do anything. The immediate rush that he'd felt when he had killed the knights was _nothing_ compared to this. He could do anything in all the worlds. Every Kingdom in every land would know and remember his name. He was now the Dark One, and for the first time in centuries the Dark One possessed his own dagger.

"Papa, don't go, please," Bae's voice broke through the surge of dark magic and dark eyes blinked, halting the advance.

"Bae," he whispered and he saw his son on the far side of the little island in which he stood.

_Kill him_, his curse hissed. _Destroy him. He will only hold you back. _

Rumplestiltskin felt an unexplainable rage rise within him that needed an outlet. The boy would hold him down. He'd tried to stop him from taking the dagger in the first place, and his meddling wouldn't stop there. The curse pushed him forward and Rumplestiltskin barely noticed that his ankle didn't even twinge. It raged inside of him to protect himself, to protect this new power he'd found. He reached a scaled hand towards the young teen's neck and froze where he was as large, brown eyes turned towards him, tears having made long streaks down his face and Rumplestiltskin swallowed hard. "No."

_No?_

"My son is why I took on this power, this... curse. I will never betray him. Do with me what you will, but the boy lives." He had no idea where the courage was coming from, but he knew if he didn't make Bae off limits now he'd risk losing the only person he truly loved. It could have anything else. He would give anything else. Just not his boy. Not his Baelfire. "That's my deal with you."

_And what do I get in return?_ the curse demanded hotly.

"A free host."

* * *

><p>Rumplestiltskin came back to consciousness with a jolt, sitting straight up on his rickety little bed so suddenly that he thought himself lucky that it didn't collapse under him. He dragged in one breath and then another, feeling dry air enter and exit his lungs, and with it something more. There was strength and power flowing through him and when he looked over to his son he couldn't understand why he looked so afraid.<p>

"Papa, I thought you were gone," Bae whispered brokenly and before Rumplestiltskin realized what he was doing the boy had his arms around his neck. His brave boy was crying, clinging to him like his life depended on it. "You fell down and wouldn't get up. I couldn't get you to answer and you just… It's been _three days_, Papa."

His curse screamed, but he was able to push it back, his love for his son just a little stronger and he returned the hug, holding him close and whispering apologies. "I didn't mean to frighten you. It's alright, Bae," he promised softly, his hand going to his hair in the same soothing motion that had always quieted him as a small child. "Nothing's going to hurt you or me. I've made sure of that."

"I don't understand what's happened, Papa."

His papa smiled a little. "I told you what the beggar told me, didn't I, Bae? I took the Dark One's power."

"You killed him?" his son asked, a horrified expression plastered across his face.

"I did, but it's okay, Bae. He was a bad man. He would have forced you to go fight the Duke's war, but he can't now. No one can make you do anything you don't want to."

Baelfire seemed to turn this over in his mind. He'd always been a clever boy, quick to learn and even quicker to ask questions. If he was taking his time to ask, Rumplestiltskin knew it weighed heavily on him. "If you're the new Dark One, won't that make you bad?"

A laugh bubbled out of him before he could remind himself just how frightened his son was. "No, Bae, of course not."

"Will it change you?"

It already had, and he knew it. It had made him better than a frightened little spinner could have ever hoped to be, but Baelfire was too young to understand that. Rumplestiltskin needed to protect him from the darker sides of his new power, and he could do that. He could prove that, no matter what changed, he was still his papa. He was just better, more powerful. Nothing would ever hurt them again.

"Perhaps, but not in the way that you think. I won't be like Zoso."

"Is that the man you killed?"

He did seem rather fixated on that small piece to a rather giant puzzle, didn't he? "Yes, but he was a terrible man. I can be better. I'll prove it to you." He stood and his son caught hold of his hand.

"Where are you going?" Bae asked with panic rising in his voice.

"To the Duke's castle. It's time we end this war with the ogres, don't you think? Children shouldn't be toted off to fight men's wars."

Well, apparently that had been the right promise to make, because Bae's eyes lit and he tightened his grip on his papa's wrist. "You'll do that? Will you bring Morraine back?"

"I'll bring all the children home," he swore. "Would you like to see me do it?"

Bae nodded and at least some of the fear seemed to be pushed aside. Rumplestiltskin wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders. "Hold on tight, Bae," he told him before he let his new curse pull them to the Duke's castle in a swirl of magic.

* * *

><p>Baelfire had seen the Duke's castle from outside the walls before he'd helped his papa set his plan into motion. He'd seen it many times, in fact. It had been a game to see how close the boys and girls from the village could get to the walls without alerting the guards, and then they'd choose the child that did the best impression of a raging ogre to set the castle guards on edge. His papa had never liked the game, and it wasn't until the dangers became real - when the Duke started calling for children to fill the holes in his ranks - that had made Bae understand why.<p>

Now they approached the front entrance as if they were guests, but Bae could still smell the smoke in the air from the fire a few nights before. "Isn't he going to know you stole the dagger?"

His papa shrugged as if it didn't matter at all, though Bae hardly could see how he planned to hide it. If the only way to become the Dark One was by killing the previous one with a specific dagger, it wouldn't take an overly clever person to put two and two together there.

Guards stood in the way of the main entrance and they turned dangerous glares on the pair. "The Duke is not hearing complaints from peasants today."

Bae watched scaly hands reach up to remove his hood and his papa's smile was dangerous. "I'm not here to complain. I'm here to make my demands."

Both soldiers went pale at the sight of him and dropped to their knees. "Dark One, forgive us. We... Didn't recognize you."

"You wouldn't now, would you?" he answered and waved a hand that sent both men tumbling to either side. He strode through the now-open path and Bae scurried to keep up. He wasn't used to his father's easy movements with what appeared to be a newly mended ankle and hasten his speed to walk just behind him, trying not to let all the distractions keep him too far back. There were plenty to catch him, from gaping makes to whispering servants. Baelfire had never seen so many people work for one man before.

His papa strode right past a stammering man with a ledger, nearly knocking him from his feet. Bae mumbled an apology and hurried after lest he get shut out behind the large doors that Rumplestiltskin sent flying open with a gust of magic.

The Duke - or at least a man dressed in clothes that probably cost more than his papa's spinning brought in for the year - turned from where he'd been speaking to another man dressed all in black. He scowled for a moment, looking as if he were ready to unleash on whoever had dared to interrupt him, but his eyes fell on Rumplestiltskin and they went wide. His gaze dipped down until it fixed on the dagger in his hand and Bae tried not to gape at his papa's - his quiet, unassuming, often very nervous papa - smug look.

"I expect," Rumplestiltskin said, pulling all attention in the room to himself, "that you already know who I am. Rumours do spread quickly through the Frontlands."

"That they do, Dark One," the Duke answered, giving a stiff bow, but never mentioning the stolen knife held between thin fingers. "It is an honour to have you here of course. Will you be staying?"

"I don't think you'll find me quite as on hand as my predecessor," he assured the elder man with a smile.

The Duke looked uncomfortable, but the man at his side looked intrigued. "Dark One, I am Sedrick, servant to this castle. I worked closely with your predecessor and hope that we can-"

Bae watched his Papa frown deeply, as if he'd found something out that Sedrick likely didn't want him too. "I'm sure you do, dearie," he chirped, "but I'm really not at all interested in what _you_ want."

The man blinked in surprise and Bae choked off a laugh that threatened to escape. His papa glanced back at him out of the corner of his eye and though those golden eyes weren't the ones his son was used to, he saw the same bit of mischief that his father had always had, quiet as it was.

"Then what is it that _you_ want, Dark One?" The Duke asked with what sounded like a long suffered sigh. He didn't look like he had a great deal to be long suffered over though.

Rumplestiltskin simply looked amused. "I thought you'd never asked. The children."

The Duke continued to stare at him. "Come again?"

"You heard me. You asked what I want and that's it. The children you've sent off as sacrifices to the ogres."

"I've sent no one off to be sacrificed!" the nobleman argued. "If you're referring to our younger recruits, they're of fighting age."

"Anyone's of fighting age on your say-so," Bae's papa said lowly, his voice taking a sudden and dangerous turn. The whole room went cold then, a strange and unnatural wind picking up around them and snuffing out candles until they were left with only the dim light of the setting sun outside the westernmost window. "Or they were. Now they're not, and _I_ say they're coming home."

"I believe you've misunderstood your role in our society, Dark One."

"My _role_?" Rumplestiltskin demanded and even Sedrick shrank back a little at his tone. "My role has been dictated to me long enough by people like you, but no longer. You will send them home and you won't call them away again."

"There's a _war_ on," the Duke argued.

"Not anymore."

Bae let out a small, startled sound as he felt the world drop out from under him and he found himself standing alone in the hovel. He blinked, turning to look to all four corners, but his father was nowhere in sight.

* * *

><p>Rumplestiltskin had just managed to get Bae out of there before his new magic tore the audience chambers apart. By the time he was done and the curse had quieted to a simmering grouse in his mind people lay strewn across the great hall and only a few groans could be heard. He looked out over it and didn't feel an ounce of his old fear welling up inside of him. Instead, satisfaction sat in its place. The scales had been tipped and this coward of a peasant that the nobles likely didn't think enough of to share the air they breathed had proven his worth. He was the new Dark One and he could not be controlled.<p>

Gold eyes turned to where the fat Duke of the Frontlands lay, having been picked up and thrown by his magic, leaving him in a crumbled and broken heap behind his throne. His sorcerer - because the Duke must have had to scramble to replace Zoso when the Dark One's dagger had come up missing - was already picking himself up from the floor where he'd landed. He ducked his head, but there was no real humility in the action. "Dark One, we do not wish to make an enemy of you."

"Good. Then stay out of my way," Rumplestiltskin growled and was gone in a puff of magic. It pulled him through and into his and Bae's home, leaving him standing somewhat unsteadily in the middle of the room. Immediately, he caught sight of his son sitting on his bed with his knees pulled up to his chest, tears streaming down his cheeks. His son had never been much of a weeper, but he'd seen the boy cry more in the last few days than he had in the last few years. "Bae? What's the matter, son?"

"You left me!" Bae growled, dark eyes flashing angrily as he looked up. "I was there and then I wasn't and you didn't come with me and I-" He stopped, a sob welling up to the point that he choked on it as it bubbled out.

"It was only a bit of magic," his papa tried to explain.

"I _hate_ magic. I want things to go back to the way they were!"

The quiet, dark voice started to stir in his mind and Rumplestiltskin shut it out immediately. Not his son. His son was safe from him. The curse was meant to help him, not hurt him, and he'd show him that. He could convince Bae that magic was alright. He'd thought it was terrible once too, but it was only because he didn't understand. Now that he had it, now that he'd seen what it could do for them, he knew more than he could ever dream.

His movements were slow as he knelt on the dirty floor in front of his son. Bae's eyes were rimmed red and he looked so much younger in that moment than he actually was. His lips were pulled down in a heavy pout and he glared as best he could with tears still trickling out of his dark brown eyes. "I love you, Bae," Rumplestiltskin said, and reached a hand out and waited for Bae to take it.

It took a moment, but he finally did and his papa squeezed it. "I love you too." Baelfire sniffled. "I just want things to go back."

"Things will be better now."

"Things were good then."

"No, Bae, they weren't," Rumplestiltskin whispered. He'd always tried to shelter his son from the hardships of their lives. He'd gone without food so Bae could eat and he'd gone without sleep so that he could spin enough to pay for the food that wouldn't go around. Just that past winter he'd nearly lost Bae to the sickness that was going around and the year before that it had nearly gotten him. No, things had not been good or anything of the sort in some time, but this magic could make it better. He could make it better now and change their fates. "But it will be. Do you trust me, son?"

"Yeah, 'course I do, Papa."

"Then trust me in this. I will not let anything hurt you ever again, nor will I let any harm come to your friends. You still want me to go fetch Morraine and the others, don't you?"

"Can you do that?"

"Of course I can, and end this worthless war too. Would you like that, Bae?"

His son watched him, as if looking for a lie or an untruth of some kind in his words. When he didn't find one, he nodded. "Yes," he answered, his voice small.

"Then that is what I shall do," the new Dark One announced and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his son's forehead. His curse fussed but it would live. It would have to learn to.

* * *

><p>Bae didn't know how long it took to broker a peace treaty with ogres, or even if his papa could do such a thing. He was convinced he could, and so the boy told himself again and again that it had to be true. He would be safe, he would come home, and then they could get rid of the demon that was trying to swallow him up. He didn't know how yet, but he knew that they could. He loved his papa more than anything else in all the kingdoms of the world, so he would find a way.<p>

Night fell, and then morning came. Bae woke in a pile of blankets alone in the hovel. He'd fallen asleep on his papa's bed, face buried in the tattered old pillow he'd slept on for more years than Bae had been alive, and the loneliness that had started to set in the night before when he hadn't come home threatened to overwhelm him with morning's light. He stood slowly and shuffled across the room to take a seat at the spinning wheel by the door.

Bae's fingers touched the wheel and it squeaked a little, the sound filling up their entire home. He usually went to sleep by that sound, but it had been silent the night before. He'd never learned to spin. His papa had tried to teach him, of course, but he'd never had the patience. He had always been too busy with this or that and his father would just smile that tired smile that he had and tell him to go play and to enjoy being young. It wouldn't last forever and he wanted him to enjoy what he had.

Voices from just outside the hovel drew his attention and Bae stood, peeking through the crack in the door. The man from the evening before - Sedrick - stood in the middle of his little village. He was speaking with Morraine's mother there and she shook her head nervously. He couldn't hear what was being said, but every time she tried to step back the man took a step forward, bullying her into whatever he wanted. Bae felt his temper burn hot. Hadn't they done enough to that poor family?

He was out the door before he'd given himself permission to move. "Hey! Leave her alone!"

The guards that were with him turned, stepping between Sedrick and and the teen that was jogging out to meet them. Bae glared as dangerously as he could manage. "She hasn't done anything. Go away and leave us alone!"

"Well now, someone has their father's spirit," Sedrick nearly purred and suddenly Bae found that he couldn't move. It was as if strings had wrapped themselves around his limbs and were hauling him into the air, toes not quite touching the ground as he was pulled upward and the man in black smiled darkly. "His won't last, though. Any thoughts of making this place better will wash out when his curse takes him in full. He won't even remember that he loves you when that happens."

"Liar!" Bae growled, struggling against the magic. "Let me go!"

"I don't think I will. He'll be back shortly, I'd wager, and when he gets here he'll find an empty home. If he bothers to come looking for you, he'll find more than an inexperienced Dark One could ever handle." He turned to Morraine's mother. "You'll give him the message, won't you?"

Her eyes were wide and terrified as Sedrick smiled, his hand flicking up into the air and Bae felt the same gut-wrenching sensation that he had the evening before when his papa had used magic to teleport him away. It set him down hard in a dark, small room, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. Whent he did, he saw that the stones circled around and up further than he could ever climb, with a single window that might as well have been fifty feet above him and a door that could have kept an ogre out. He slammed up against it anyway, his fists pounding against the unyielding oak. "Let me out! Let me out!" he shouted, but it was no use. The door was locked and would budge and he was stuck. He sank to the cold, damp floor and his head thunked against the wood. "Papa," he whispered. "Please help me."

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

Notes: Hope you've enjoyed the beginning! The second half will (if everything goes as planned) be up on Thursday.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part Two.**

"I never thought we'd make it out of there alive."

Rumplestiltskin glanced down and was surprised to see one of the teenagers that he'd freed from their battle had fallen into step with him. The others seemed wary of the Dark One and huddled in their groups. Some looked as if they'd prefer the ogres that had been ready to tear them limb from limb if it meant that they'd get away from him, but now they didn't have that choice. The fighting had ended and they were going home.

"Or in one piece," he answered her and she smiled.

"I know you. You're Baelfire's papa, even though you look different. Your limp is gone."

"Yes it is."

"When did you learn magic?"

"When I needed to to save Bae."

Morraine smiled up at him. "You're a good papa. Bae's lucky to have you."

They topped the hill and the reality that they were free to go home seemed to sink in. A couple of the younger boys ran first, calling for their mamas and their papas as they raced down the hillside. The older kids were slower, less trusting, but after a moment they too followed. The little blonde girl at Rumplestiltskin's side took hold of his hand and wouldn't let go as she pulled him along, finally releasing him only when her parents stepped out of their crumbling home. She flung herself into her father's arms and he picked her up, spinning her around and laughing through the tears.

There were some moments in life that even the darkest of curses could not taint, and this, Rumplestiltskin thought as he watched it unfold, was one of them. A small smile perked his lips as he started for his own home. Maybe this was enough.

"Rumplestiltskin?"

He stopped, his name catching his attention and he turned, finding Morraine's mother standing with her husband and daughter. He waved off her impending thank you and started back the way he'd been going.

"They took your son."

Rumplestiltskin stopped dead in his tracks, a terrible, cold dread setting deep within him and driving out any of the warmth that the peace of the moment had brought with it. "What?" he managed, his voice faltering.

"I'm so sorry. There was nothing we could do. He was a sorcerer and he took Baelfire. There was nothing-"

He raising a hand, silencing her sputtering excuses. They didn't matter. Sedrick. It had to be Sedrick. He'd taken his son and Rumplestiltskin would take his life in return. No, he'd do more than that. He'd rip out his heart and crush it between his fingers while it was still beating. He'd make him watch. He'd make him scream and writhe and beg. There was no suffering too great, no pain that he did not deserve. He'd taken his Baelfire and Rumplestiltskin would burn down the whole damn town if he had to do get him back.

For the first time since he'd joined with it, he and his curse were in agreement.

* * *

><p>A small door opened at the bottom of the larger one and a tray of mush was pushed through. Baelfire wasn't even sure it qualified for food. It was soggy and the spoon stuffed down inside of it sent a strange sort of bubble to the top. Well, Bae <em>hoped<em> it was the spoon doing that. He wrinkled his nose and pulled the wooden spoon out, the goop dripping off of it sluggishly and he tried not to feel a little sick. They'd eaten some pretty thin soups before, but this didn't even qualify. It smelled like a garbage heap, and he was certain that if they were in the Duke's castle - or, rather, the Duke's dungeon - that someone could have found a spoon that didn't have to be wired together just to work.

"That's it," he breathed, dark eyes focused in on the wire. His fingers were cold and didn't want to work properly, but he finally got it loose and was rewarded with a long, thin wire that he could bend to fit into the lock. Lock picking wasn't a great tradition or anything for poor spinner's kids in the Frontlands, but he'd seen a couple of the older boys pick one or two over the years.

Bae leaned against the door, chewing on his lower lip just a little as he fit the wires inside the lock and started exploring the inside of it. He felt the individual pins and went to work, trying to recall what the boys had told him. He clicked and turned, searching for the right combination of moves until finally he received a satisfying pop and the door swung open a little. He breathed a sigh of relief, pushing it so that he could get out, and was immediately met with a mountain of a man in uniform on the other side. What someone like that was guarding a fourteen-year-old boy, he couldn't fathom, but he did manage not to cry out too loudly as the man hauled him up by the front of his shirt and pitched him back into his cell so that he collided with the nasty would-be soup that they'd given to him. It went everywhere, soaking through his shirt and he groaned. It was cold enough without being wet too.

He sprang up before the door closed again and rushed the man with determination. "Let me out of here!" he shouted. "I haven't done anything!"

"You haven't, but your father has."

"He hasn't done anything wrong," Bae argued, even if he knew that wasn't true. Was this about the dagger? The fire? Both and all?

The guard sneared. "From this point forward, _everything_ he does is wrong. He must be controlled."

The door slammed back into his face and Bae huffed, tipping back onto his backside again. His papa would come for him, he knew that he would. He just had to be patient.

* * *

><p>The guards tried to stop him, but they didn't stand a chance. They were dead before they hit the ground and Rumplestiltskin's curse cheered. Nothing could stop him. Nothing could contain him. He could be and would be the most powerful being to walk the kingdoms of the world and this little insect of a sorcerer would be the first to see it. He would break every bone in his body, starting with those hands he'd used to snag his boy. He would take his time, one by one, letting him hear them crack and snap beneath the Dark One's magic. He would kill him, and then when he was sure that he was gone, he'd put life back into him so that he could start all over again. He would smear the stones of the castle with his blood and put his head on a spike for all to see, and the people that he'd hurt - people like Bae - would be as grateful to him as that little girl that had taken his hand earlier that day. They would cheer him and he would use his curse to do what they'd always wanted to. He could free them.<p>

Servants scattered through the hallways as he walked, dark magic swirling so heavily around him that it was visible to any onlooker and he threw the doors at the end of the hall open to find Sedrick overseeing the cleanup of his last visit. "Get out," he growled and the room shook.

Sedrick motioned for them to leave and turned a lazy look on him. "There is no need for all this fuss. We could have handled this like civilized men, you know. Perhaps then you would have even been able to keep your precious freedom."

"You're not taking anything from me," Rumplestiltskin snarled and magic leapt out from him. It crackled through the air, but it was untrained and new to him and the older sorcerer deflected it easily.

A smile tilted his lips. "I already have, Dark One."

"I have a name."

"Do you? I hardly think it matters. You're nothing more than your title now just as you were nothing when you didn't have it. Now, have a seat and we'll discuss this like-"

The second attack slammed into him with all the fury that he felt and Sedrick was thrown back into the throne that tipped over with him. He rolled when he hit the ground, but stood quickly, pushing his hair back out of his face and turning an irritated look on the spinner as if he were nothing more than a nuisance. "That's quite enough. You do want to see your son alive, don't you? That's what all this is about?"

Rumplestiltskin froze. Yes, that _was_ what this was all about. He had to find Bae. "Where's my son?"

"He's safe. For now."

Fury boiled inside of him and his magic teleported him so that he was directly in front of Sedrick, his hand latched around his neck and he gripped down hard. "_Where_?"

"Well I can't quite call without… being able to breathe… can I?" He loosened his grip ever so slightly and a smirk tilted the older man's lips. "Bring him in," he called out and turned back to Rumplestiltskin. "Now where were we?"

Power lashed out, slamming into the startled Dark One and throwing him backwards. He skidded across the stone floor and across the ornate rug until he finally came to a stop, head spinning and body aching. He hadn't known he could feel pain with all this power rushing through him, but it was much easier to push aside now and he did so as he leapt to his feet, calling darkness to his hand and it came in the form of fire. The ball burned bright as it left his fingertips, swirling around Sedrick instead of hitting him head-on and he couldn't force it all away. It left his robes smoldering and his hair singed. He turned an approving look on Rumplestiltskin. "Very good. Apparently you can learn."

"That's not the question at hand," he Dark One said lowly. "The question is: can you?" He didn't know any spells, not yet. All he knew was what his curse fed to him and it fed information faster than Rumplestiltskin had ever received it before. Images, understanding, and instinct were his teachers and it all pulled together and lashed out in darkness, the rage building on itself until might just consume him.

A single, small voice stopped him though. "Papa?"

Rumplestiltskin's dark curse that he hadn't even known how to create died before it ever found its mark and he turned, golden eyes wide as he saw his boy being dragged into the room by a man at least twice his own size. There was no care being taken for the boy's safety, but instead one meaty hand had hold of his collar and he was dragged until he swung him around so that he was in front of him and the guard pulled a nasty blade out of its sheath and put it to Baelfire's throat. For all the fear that he should have been feeling, Bae stood bravely.

His father, on the other hand, didn't. "No! Let him go!"

"You've proven that you cannot handle the power under your own free will, Dark One. Give over the Kris Dagger and I may be willing to release the boy back into your care."

"Then you could control me," Rumplestiltskin breathed.

"That's rather the point."

"No."

"Suit yourself, then. Kill him."

Unbridled fear swept through him as the knife bit down against his son's throat and he saw bright red against pale skin. His scream bounced off the stones of the tall room and he didn't even think as he rushed forward, magic coming to his unconscious bidding and the guard fell dead. Bae, eyes wide and confused, started down after him, his legs not holding his weight.

Rumplestiltskin caught him though and grabbed hold tight, falling with him so that Bae wouldn't hit the ground. "Bae? Bae look at me," he begged, his voice rushed and afraid. He was bleeding too fast and he couldn't stop it. He didn't know how to stop it. "Please please please," he whispered frantically and unfocused dark eyes flickered up to him. "I'm so sorry, Bae."

"Pa…" he tried, but he couldn't speak

His papa pulled him close and pressed a tearful kiss to his forehead. "I don't know how to stop this," he managed. "Please make this stop."

A warmth flushed through him and Rumplestiltskin looked down to see his son was glowing very softly. He watched with wide, curious eyes as the wound that should have killed his only son knit back together quickly, sealing up and stopping the loss of blood that would have been his undoing. Bae stirred groggily in his arms, but didn't quite wake. He pressed another kiss to his head and eased him down. "I'll be back, Bae," he promised. His magic had saved his son, and as he was quickly learning, everything came with a price. He would learn how to heal correctly so that he didn't have to rely on his dark curse to do it for him but today was not that day, and he owed it the blood that it called for. He couldn't say that he minded much either.

Sedrick looked like he'd seen his end coming and he began backing away. "Dark One, this doesn't have to-"

"My name is Rumplestiltskin, and yes. Yes it does." The words had no sooner left his lips and he was on him, hand plunged deeply into his chest and he pulled his beating heart from it. Dark spots littered it, but a bit of red could still be seen and he applied pressure, pulling a terrible sound from the trapped man. "As I understand it, I now control you. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"And I hold your life in my hands?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful." He squeezed, and Sedrick let out a yelp of pain. The heart cracked and splintered, and as the fissions ran deeper and wider he collapsed fully to the ground and the hart turned to dust in Rumplestiltskin's hand.

"Papa?" a weak voice called and he turned, finding his son looking at him.

He moved over to Bae, scooping him up with an ease that he'd never had before. "It's okay, son. I'm taking you home now."

"You… killed him, didn't you?"

"To protect you."

There was no thanks in Baelfire's eyes, but Rumplestiltskin wasn't sure if it was due to fear or exhaustion. It didn't matter. His son was safe, and no one was ever going to hurt him again. He would sure of it.

* * *

><p>Bae slept through the day and all through the night. Rumplestiltskin didn't. He paced and worried and fidgeted, checking his son's pulse and his breathing every five minutes if he was able to wait that long. He stoked the fire for a moment, stirred the broth that he planned to have waiting as soon as Bae woke, but at a certain point he had to take it off the fire lest it burned. Bae slept and slept and slept and no matter what he tried he wouldn't wake.<p>

Rumplestiltskin didn't dare leave the hovel. He wasn't sure how many hours actually passed before Bae finally started to stir, but he was at his side instantly, dropping to his knees by his bedside and taking his hand. "Bae? Baelfire, can you hear me?"

The teen moaned softly and he was mumbling. Rumplestiltskin had to duck his head closer to hear him, but the "no's" became more distinct the longer he listened, and Bae sat up suddenly with a scream escaped him as he jolted upright. He turned wide, frightened eyes on his father and the fear didn't diminish.

"Bae, please, it's alright," his papa pleaded with him, pulling him close and trying to console him. He trembled in his arms, but finally relaxed into him.

"Papa?"

"I'm right here," Rumplestiltskin whispered, banishing as much of the curse as he could from his voice. He would be there for his son and he alone.

"I had a terrible nightmare," Bae said roughly.

"It was just that, Bae. It'll fade soon," his papa promised and his magic started wrapping around his son. Somewhere deep in his mind he hoped that he was doing the right thing - though he hardly knew what he was doing as it happened - as he pulled the memories out as gently as he could. One by one he took them, watching them as they faded into nothing. They were gone from his son's mind and gone from the world. He saw each and every moment and felt his temper flare. They were dead and his curse told him there was nothing more that he could do than he'd already done. There was no bringing Sedrick back from the dead just to kill him again. He'd done everything he could and now his responsibility was to keep his son safe.

Bae fell back against his papa's chest, dark eyes fluttering. "Mm. What happened?"

"Your friends are home, Baelfire. They're home from the war."

"Really?"

"Yes."

He sat up and looked around. "Did I fall asleep?"

Rumplestiltskin tried for a smile. Morraine was a smart girl. When she realized Bae didn't remember anything she would drop it quickly. "Why don't you go see them?"

He grinned, toppling off the bed and to the door. There would be questions, but there always were. Bae had always been such a good boy at accepting what his papa told him on blind faith, and it would help him now. It had to, because Rumplestiltskin couldn't bare to have his son remember what he'd done to protect him. Anyway, he could be better going forward. He had to be or he'd risk losing the best thing that ever happened to him.

* * *

><p>It had been many, many years since he thought about it and many more since the actual events took place. Rumplestiltskin found himself lost in the swirl of memory as he stared blankly at the far side of his shop. He wasn't in the Enchanted Forest anymore and so much had changed in the past three centuries. He'd gained and lost Bae more than he ever would, and in the end his only consolation was that he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Baelfire was well aware of how much his papa loved him.<p>

"Okay," Henry's voice drifted into his ears and startled him out of his thoughts. "I swept the floors - front and back - dusted the furniture and polished it. _Now_ will you tell me a story about my dad?"

Rumplestiltskin felt an old pull on his jaded heart as his grandson beamed a smile that reminded him so much of the teen's own father. The Dark One pulled in a steadying breath and leaned against the counter. "That was the deal," he murmured and somehow that smile grew.

Henry grabbed a stool and pulled it up to the other side, seating himself down with more enthusiasm than most boys his age would have had for stories about his father's youth. "What was he like as a kid?"

"Very brave, even when he was young."

"He nearly went off to war, didn't he? At my age?"

"Just a bit older, but yes, far too young for all of that. That's what spiraled us in on… Well, it led us to where we stand today, I suppose."

Henry didn't move, but sat waiting and Rumplestiltskin loosed a long breath, a smile perking the corners of his mouth. "I think I know just the story for you. Now, I warn you, it won't be like any other fairytale that you've ever read in your Book," he murmured and his grandson grinned.

"That's okay. Yours and Dad's stories never are."

"That is most certainly true," the teen's grandfather answered and began weaving the tale his mind had been so fixated on. He told of the Duke and of Sedrick, of Bae's bravery and how he wanted to save the children that had been taken off to war. He left out some of the rather gory details, but by the end of it, Henry looked a little blurry eyed. Rumplestiltskin was very certain that he was as well.

Henry stood abruptly as the story came to a close and rounded the counter, wrapping his arms around his grandfather's middle. "I miss him," he whispered.

A soft huff left him as he returned the embrace, holding the only piece of Baelfire he still had left close and he made a silent vow that he'd protect this boy where his son could not. Nothing would happen to him as long as his grandfather lived. He was family, after all, and nothing was more important than that.

* * *

><p>End.<p>

A/N: So, I'm slowly coming to terms with the Winter Finale. I've also been hesitantly interested in Rumple as the big bad. He's an amazing villain and now he has lost _everything_. Bae's dead, Belle's gone, and he doesn't even have his centuries-old companion that is his magic to fall back on. It's going to be interesting, as long as it's done right. And damn it all, I what was just supposed to be a drabble to get some of my feelings out brewing in the background over here, dealing with all of those feels. Somehow it's managed to develop a plot and a few twists... Someone stop me now. Thankfully I'm 9 full chapters ahead in writing on my next multi-chapter, so it's okay.

If you have a chance and you're on Tumblr (and you want to feel a little more hopeful after the finale last Sunday), check out a post by ToSeeHowTheStoryEnds It's called 'Rumplestiltskin as the Big Bad', which is easier than trying to give you a URL that FFN will just eat. You'll feel more hopeful. It talks about how Belle and Rumple need to meet in the middle, and it's a fantastic little piece.

Hope you enjoyed this little two-shot! It's been on the backburner for... ages now. Close to a year, I think, so I'm glad it's finally been written. For those that I don't see over on my other stories, have a great Hanukkah/Christmas/New Years!

TS


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